Imagine having just $50 a week to feed your family of four

April 17, 2018

The Queensland-based family, including mum Sunita, 35, dad Taha, 35 and children Waimoana, 5 and Renata, 3, aren’t always sure if they’ll make ends meet and where their next meal will come from.
Mr Tekani works as a labourer and the family live off just $1700 a fortnight — and that is on a good week.
Little Waimoana has a severe skin condition, which often requires hospitalisation, doctors visits and expensive dressings.
Waimoana is also unable to regulate her own body temperature which requires the family to constantly have the air conditioning or heating on — resulting in hefty electricity bills of around $1000 a quarter.
After rent and bills they are left with just $50 a week to feed the family.

“We have definitely had to compromise with money and there have been times when we haven’t been able to even pay our rent. If you look at our rental history it is one of the worst,” Mrs Tekani said.
“There have also been times where we’ve had no food or I’ve had to feed the kids Weet-Bix for breakfast, lunch and dinner because that’s all we had in the house.”
Mrs Tekani said she wasn’t even able to purchase a birthday cake for her daughter’s birthday this year and it had to be provided by a family member.
“It does really feel like I am disappointing my family. It just makes me really upset.”
The Tekanis have recently been receiving food support and have said it has made a huge difference.
Mrs Tekani said other families out there suffering should not do so in silence.
“I used to be one of those that was too scared to ask for help, but you just have to because the reality is things aren’t getting any cheaper.”